Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Poales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/13/22):
Carex austrocaroliniana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Rather easily identified by the slender, often reclining stems with red-purple bases, and the 3-5 spikes per stem that arch or droop on long stalks and which have only 2-6 pergynia per spike. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex austrocaroliniana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23 (2002)
Carex austrocaroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-058:
Carex austro-caroliniana FAMILY Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex austro-caroliniana
COMMON NAME:
South Carolina Sedge, Tarheel Sedge
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm220419_6925
April Pickens County SC
Nine Times Preserve
Leaves: basal sheaths purple; blades erect, ascending, or decumbent, green, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm220419_6927
April Pickens County SC
Nine Times Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm220419_6929
April Pickens County SC
Nine Times Preserve
Peduncle of lateral pistillate spikes slender, drooping, 8-11cm, per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm0507o_26
July Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Widest leaf blade 3-6mm wide, per Weakley's Flora (2015).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/13/22):
Carex austrocaroliniana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Carex austrocaroliniana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 23
Carex austrocaroliniana
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 030-17-058:
Carex austro-caroliniana
FAMILY
Cyperaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Carex austro-caroliniana
1988
Grass, Sedge, or Rush
Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Nutrient-rich, moist coves in the sw. mountains of NC and adjacent SC, often with some seepage, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Mountains
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & low alternate, 3-ranked
RHIZOMES? STOLONS?
Densely cespitose [growing in dense tufts, clumping]
FLOWER:
Spring
Perianth absent
3 stamens
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Inflorescences: spikes (terminal spike staminate; 1-2 lateral spikes pistillate)
FRUIT:
Spring
Nutlet
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".